Stopper-retainer.



A. E. GORDON.

STOPPER RETAINER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 15, 1000.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

752 272 u et).

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE.

ALBERT E. GORDON, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AJAX-GRIEB RUBBERCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STOPPER-RETAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed May 15, 1909. Serial No. 496,100.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. GORDON, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Stopper-Retainer, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a stopper retainer and more particularly to aretainer for the stopper of what is commonly known as a hot water bag.

The object is to provide a retainer which will permit the stopper to bereadily screwed into and out of the nozzle of the bag and which willretain the stopper within convenient reach when out of use and at thesame time be sutliciently rigid to make it easy to manipulate it and becapable of ready removal from the bag when for any purpose its presenceis annoying, as for instance, in cleansing the bag and stopper.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a view of the top of a bag showing the stopper and itsretainer in the position which they occupy when the stopper is inposition to close the bag, Fig. 2 is a central section through the same,Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the stopper and its retainer in theposition which they occupy when the bag is open, Fig. 4 is an edge viewof the retainer in detail, Fig. 5 is a face view of the same, and Fig. 6is an end view of the same.

The body of the bag is denoted by 1, the nozzle with its internalscrew-thread, by 2, the funnel extending from the nozzle by 3 and thehandle for carrying or hanging the bag, by 4.

The stopper with its exterior screw-thread to fit the nozzle is denotedby 5 and is provided with a handle or finger piece 6, for screwing andunscrewing 1t. The finger piece 6 is here shown as formed of wire in theform of a loop, having a contracted or narrower neck portion inproximity to the stopper and widening out as it extends away from thestopper.

The stopper retainer is here shown as formed of a single piece of wire,bent intermediate of its ends to form a circular eye 7 for looselyembracing the neck of the finger piece 6, the diameter of the eye beingless than the width of the wider portion of the finger piece beyond theneck, the two parts or branches of the retainer extending from the eye 7where they normally rest in contact or nearly in contact, away from theeye, at an angle to the plane of the eye, gradually separating from eachother and finally turning abruptly away from each other and curvingaround toward each other to form an elongated loop 8 for the receptionof the bag handle 4. The ends of the wire as they approach each other toform the loop 8, rest normally in proximity to each other but may besprung apart to pass the neck of the finger piece on the stopper intoposition within the eye 7 and to pass the bag handle into the loop 8,and the retainer may be detached from both the bag handle and stopper atpleasure by springing the branches of the retainer apart.

In use the retainer with stopper connected may be swung over from theposition shown in Fig. 3, to that shown in Fig. 2, the loop 8 slidingfreely along the bag handle, and the stopper may then be screwed intoposition, turning freely within the eye 7, and when it is desired toempty or fill the bag, the stopper may be unscrewed and thrown over intothe position shown in Fig. 3, thereby moving the retainer entirely outof the way of the nozzle.

The rigid or stiff nature of the retainer renders it convenient tomanipulate in swinging it with stopper attached into and out ofoperative position and when in position to allow the stopper to bescrewed into the nozzle, the meeting ends of the branches of the stopperare housed or protected between the parts which form the loop of the baghandle 4. The retainer is furthermore, quite inexpensive, light anddurable.

It is obvious that the retainer might assume forms slightly differentfrom that shown and described without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly tothe structure shown, but

What I claim is:

1. A stopper retainer for a hot water bag consisting of an eye forloosely embracing a finger piece on a stopper, a loop for looselyembraclng a bag handle and a substantially i'igid or stiff portionconnecting the eye and 2. A stopper retainer consisting of a Wire eyeand loop permanently in their positions bent to form an 'eye at one endfor loosely relative to the connection.

embracing the finger piece on a stopper and In testimony that I claimthe foregoing to form a split loop at the opposite end to as myinvention, have signed my name in 5 removably embrace a handle. presenceof tWo Witnesses, this fourteenth 15 3. A stopper retainer comprising aneye at day of May 1909. one end, a loop at the opposite end and a ALBERTE. GORDON. rigid connection between the eye and loop fitnesses: disposedat an angle to one of the said parts F. GEORGE BARRY,

10 the eye and loop, and adapted to hold-the HENRY THIEME.

